


The Pursuit of Happiness

by mahbecks



Series: Soulmark Alternate Universe Stories [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chill XV, Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Pre-Story, Romance, Sexual Content, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-09-30 19:01:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10169675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahbecks/pseuds/mahbecks
Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum has been anxiously awaiting the day that he will receive his soulmark, the name of the one who will make his soul sing. For eleven long years, he has waited, patiently biding his time. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, it finally happens - the Crystal bestows him with a mark, a soulmate.And then everything gets complicated.*Somewhat canon-compliant Soulmate AU. Companion story to my other fic, "Sing"





	1. Gravis

**Author's Note:**

> I really can't leave this idea well enough alone.
> 
> This story is a companion piece to another story I wrote, "Sing", and set in a mostly canon compliant universe with the caveat that humans in Lucis often receive soulmate-identifying marks in the form of "soulmarks", given to them by the Crystal when they come of age as an added protection against enemies. I do not think you need to read that story - though I will, of course, shamelessly self-promote it here, hehehe - in order to understand this one, BUT if you would like a more detailed explanation of the AU itself than I have set this story in, the first chapter of "Sing" is pretty explanatory. 
> 
> Some scenes and dialogue overlap between the two stories, but are often told from differing point of view. This is also largely complete - I just have a bit more editing and finishing up the ending, so I will post updates as I finish that :) 
> 
> A/N: In the main body of this work, Noctis is 18 and Prompto is 17. However, all explicit sexual content will occur after both boys are 18.

“A soulmark? What’s that?”

Seven year-old Noctis Lucis Caelum looked up at his father questioningly, not understanding the meaning of the word. His father smiled, warm green eyes crinkling at the edges. “Tell me, Noctis, have you been learning about the Crystal in school?”

He nodded vigorously, eager to tell his father that yes, he _had_ been learning about the Crystal and how it protected everyone in Lucis.

“Well, sometimes, the Crystal gives us an extra bit of protection,” his father continued, motioning for Noctis to join him on the bench.

He did so, clambering up beside his father and curling his legs underneath his small frame. “Protection?” he repeated. “Like a shield?”

“Hmm, not quite. Sometimes, you see, the Crystal likes to protect us by giving us a soulmate, a person to whom we are bonded. Someone to love us and keep us safe. Do you understand?” Noctis nodded that he did, and his father went on. “When the Crystal decides to bond two people, it gives each of them a soulmark using its magic.”

“And what is it?”

“A name. It’s as if your soulmate has written their name on your skin.”

Noctis thought about this for a moment. “Does it wash off?” he asked, thinking of the markers he liked to use to color. They always got on his hands, but people were always there to help him wash them off. Was it like that?

“No, no,” his father said, shaking his head. “A soulmark is permanent.”

Noctis cocked his head to the side, staring at his father curiously. “Do you have one?” he asked.

“I did. Once.” His father sounded sad then, and Noctis asked him why. “I told you that a soulmark is permanent, and that is true - except for in one instance. Noctis, when a person’s soulmate dies, their soulmark disappears forever. It never comes back.”

“Then…” Noctis frowned, trying to put two and two together. “You lost it? When Mom died?”

“I did.”

Noctis thought he should feel sad; his father certainly looked sad, the corners of his mouth drooping down behind his beard. But he had never known his mother. He had never even seen her face, save for the pictures his father kept in their rooms. He wanted to be sad.

Instead, he felt strangely empty.

“Where was it?”

His father turned over his hand, pointing to the inside of his wrist on his right arm. A watch was there now, hiding the veins and thin, pale skin.

“Do you miss it?”

“The mark?” His father shook his head. “No. But I do miss your mother, Noctis. I do miss her dearly.”

“I… I miss her too,” Noctis replied, trying to be supportive even though he secretly thought it was hard to miss something you had never had.

And really, wasn’t his father enough? He’d never felt like he was missing out on anything, even when the other kids came to school with their mothers on the first day of class, or when their mothers came and ate lunch with them. Instead, he came with his dad, and that was that. Some kids didn’t have _any_ parents, and he did - a _great_ one, he thought to himself, the best there was. That was plenty for him.

His father smiled at him, reaching a hand out to cup his face. “I know you do,” he murmured. “You would have liked her, I think. She was very kind.”

“Did she look like me?”

“Oh, very much so,” his father replied. “The resemblance is strong. You have her eyes, for one.” He moved his hand up to ruffle Noctis’ hair. “But this… this magnificent mane is all me!”

“Dad!” Noctis scrunched up his nose in all of his seven year-old dignity, waving the other’s hand away and trying to flatten his mussed hair.

His father laughed, though it wasn’t a cruel sound. He was just playing around, Noctis knew, and so he didn’t feel guilty when he stuck his tongue out in response.

“One day, you’ll get a soulmark too.”

Noctis paused, halfway through finger-combing his hair. “I will?” he asked, surprised.

“Oh, yes. And then the whole kingdom will celebrate in your honor!”

“Why would they do that?”

“Why, to share your happiness, of course!” his father exclaimed. “What do you think happened when I received my soulmark? Your mother and I were married within the week!”

Marriage. Noctis hadn’t considered this aspect of soulmates before. “So… I’ll have to marry my soulmate?” he asked.

“If you want, yes.”

“I don’t want to get married,” Noctis announced huffily, “girls are icky.”

“Who said anything about it being a girl?” His father raised an eyebrow at him.

“It can be a boy?”

“Of course it can. The Crystal chooses the _person_ who makes our soul sing, Noctis, whoever that person may be.”   

Noctis thought about this for a second, and decided it might be a little better that way. Boys weren’t gross like girls were, and they could share all their toys and games and things. Maybe it would just be easier if his soulmate was a boy.

But now his father was saying something about what he needed to do once he’d gotten his soulmark, and Noctis thought he had better start paying attention.

“Now, Noctis, when you receive your soulmark, you must let me know at once.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because they will be in great danger,” his father replied, his voice gone grave. “As the soulmate of the future king, there might be people who will want to hurt them. If you tell me who they are, I can help protect them.”

“But why would anyone want to hurt them?”

His father clapped a hand to his shoulder. “In order to get to _you,_ son. You and your soulmate will be linked, forever. They may try to hurt your soulmate because it will hurt _you._ ”

Noctis didn’t think that was fair, and he said so to his father.

“No,” his father agreed. “No, it’s not.”

“I don’t want them to get hurt.”

“Then they _won’t._ ” His father’s voice was firm, stern - the voice he used when Noctis got in trouble or did something wrong. But this time his voice wasn’t directed at Noctis, and so, just this once, it didn’t seem so frightening. “I won’t let them hurt your soulmate, Noctis. But in order to protect them, you will have to tell me about them, as soon as you know.”

“But when will I know? How?”

“Around your eighteenth birthday, the mark will appear. It will happen suddenly, out of nowhere, but you’ll know it when you feel it.”

Noctis nodded in understanding.

His father was still looking at him quite seriously. “Will you tell me, son? Will you let me know?”

“I will, Dad.”

HIs father squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him, relief clear on his face. “Good,” he said. “Very good. Don’t forget, Noctis - the moment you know.”

“The moment I know.”

“Not the day after, or the next week, but as soon as you can.”

“Okay."

Noctis didn’t fully understand the need for such immediacy, the gravity of the situation. But he agreed nonetheless, wanting to show his father that he knew what he had to do. And this seemed to make his father happy, for he changed the subject and asked if Noctis wanted to go out and get some ice cream, to which Noctis joyfully agreed. He took his father’s hand as they left their apartments in the Citadel, his father’s friend, Clarus, trailing along behind them.

His father was smiling, Noctis saw, and he laughed when Noctis told him a joke that he’d heard in school. He liked it when his father was smiling. People told him that it didn’t happen very often anymore, but Noctis wasn’t sure what they were talking about, for his father always smiled around him.

Maybe he was only happy around Noctis. Was that it? Noctis couldn’t think of a reason for why that would be, but he resolved then and there to try and make his father happier more often. It was only fair, he reasoned, since his father made him so happy all of the time. He would try and do everything he could to make his father smile more, to let people know that he still _could_ smile. But what could he do?

Get good grades, he thought. Be strong. Be fast.

He could tell his father when he received his soulmark. That much was very obvious to him now. It didn’t seem as impressive as learning to fight with a sword or learning to use magic. But it was easy, something he could do without really trying, and it seemed like it would make his father happy.

So he would do it. He would wait.

And when he received his mark, he would let his father know.

* * * * *

Eleven years later, Noctis was awakened by a terrible itching sensation along the side of his arm.

He scratched it absently, looking over at the clock on his bedside table. The digital face read six thirty-seven, and he groaned. He had twenty minutes left before Ignis would arrive at his front door, demanding to be let inside, and almost an hour still before the man would actually _make_ him get out of bed. With this in mind, he rolled over, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep.

But the itch would not go away.

Irritably, he scratched it again, but this only seemed to further agitate the skin. With a huff of supreme annoyance, he brought his arm up to his face, looking to see if it was an insect bite or perhaps a rash. He hoped it wasn’t the latter; then Ignis would have to get him an ointment of some kind, and he _hated_ it when his skin felt sticky.

To his surprise, it was nothing of the sort.

Bold, black lines were taking shape on his skin, standing out against the pale flesh like a tattoo. He stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded, as the looping lines swirled and connected, almost like they were forming…

They were forming a _name._

With an excited cry, Noctis sat up in the bed, reaching for the lamp beside his clock. This was it - his soulmark, the name of the soulmate the Crystal had selected for him, the one who would make his soul sing. He should’ve realized it sooner! His eighteenth birthday had been just last week, and that was the age at which most Lucians received their soulmark.

He had been waiting for his soulmark for quite some time, it felt like. Ignis already had his - though he _was_ two years older than Noctis, so this wasn’t really a surprise - and so did Gladio. It seemed like everyone one else in his senior class had gotten theirs as well. He had felt so strange, being one of the few people he knew without a mark. He’d wondered for a while if something was wrong with him, if perhaps the Crystal wouldn’t give him a soulmate.

Ignis had told him that that line of thinking was preposterous, that every King of Lucis before him had had a mark, including his father, and so of course he too would receive one. But Noctis hadn’t been sure. Soulmarks weren’t guaranteed to everyone, of course. There was a very real possibility that he wouldn’t get one, despite what everyone said.

But none of that mattered now.

It was finally happening, the Crystal was granting him a soulmate, and he waited with bated breath as the lines finalized on the outside of his wrist.

When the itching stopped, he knew the process was complete. His heart was thudding rapidly in his chest, excitement coursing through him like mad. This was it - the moment he had been waiting for. The time had finally come.

He looked down, twisting his arm a bit so that he could read the looping signature. It was familiar to him, comforting even, a name that he knew by heart.

_Prompto._

Noctis felt warm all over, happiness flooding his body and filling it with heat. Prompto - _Prompto._ His best friend, his _very_ best friend - and a bit more, if he were honest with himself. He couldn’t deny that he had a bit of a crush on the guy, that he was infatuated with his bubbly energy and cheerful smile. He hid it well, of course, mainly because he could never tell if Prompto reciprocated his feelings or not. There were times when he thought the blonde _had_ to have feelings for him, the way he would smile at him, the way he would hug Noctis tight, and sometimes he just said _these things_ that made Noctis think his feelings _had_ to be mutual.

But what if they weren’t?

Prompto was his best friend, his _only_ friend outside of the Citadel. He was the only one in their high school who treated Noctis like a person instead of an entity, the only one who had bothered to get to know the real Noctis.

He hadn’t wanted to risk losing that. It would have been unendurable.

But now…

Elated, Noctis practically jumped out of his bed and headed for the shower. There was no way he would be able to get back to sleep now. Besides, the quicker that he moved, the quicker that he could get to school and talk to Prompto.

A thought came to him as he stepped into the spray of the hot water. Had Prompto received his mark yet? Noctis had never actually asked - he had figured that if Prompto had gotten his, he would’ve said something. He was the sharing type. But now that he contemplated it, he wasn’t sure Prompto had ever mentioned anything about his soulmark.

Well, he would just have to cross that bridge if he came to it. He had kept his feelings to himself for a long time now. He could wait a few more months if he had to.

As he exited the shower, drying himself off with a towel and pulling on his school uniform, it occurred to him that he would have to tell his father. Almost involuntarily, he recalled the day his father had first told him about soulmarks, about how he would have to reveal his soulmate as soon as he found out who they were in order to protect them. His glee faded a bit as he remembered the conversation, remembered that his father had said Prompto might be in danger.

They hadn’t discussed the matter since. It hadn’t been necessary before he’d received his mark. And truth be told, his father hadn’t had the _time._ He was always busy lately, his smile fading more and more and more, and though Noctis tried to spend time with him, there just wasn’t spare time to be had.

But now that he _had_ gotten a mark…

He’d just have to say that it was important, that it was worth interrupting one of his father’s meetings. It was, wasn’t it? A matter of state security? That was what Ignis would call it.

Ignis.

Noctis looked down at his watch and saw that he had perhaps five minutes until the other arrived. His stomach rumbled hungrily at the thought, and he moved into the kitchen. He couldn’t cook anything to save his life, of course, but he could at least get the coffee going.

There was a knock at his door just as he’d finished setting up the pot to brew - a bit of a tricky process, really, as it was a fancy Altissian model and he’d never done it before. He wiped his hands on a dishrag, satisfied with the dripping of the machine and the faint smell of coffee permeating the air. Ignis would be impressed that he’d gotten it to work, surely. All the better; he liked showing off every now and then, proving to his chamberlain that he wasn’t _quite_ as hopeless as some people thought.

A second knock, more impatient this time.

He hit the intercom unit on the wall, a hasty, “Coming!” issuing from his lips, and he ran to answer the door. Ignis stood on the other side, perfectly prim and proper this morning, and Noctis smiled in greeting. He didn’t usually smile, of course - normally, Ignis’ knocks dragged him out of bed, and he was too asleep to do more than groan at the intrusion. But today was different.

Today was _special._

“You’re very chipper this morning,” Ignis said suspiciously, stepping into the apartment and moving towards the kitchen.

Noctis shut the door and followed him. “Am I?” he asked. Ignis shot him a look, and he shrugged.

“You’re already showered and dressed,” Ignis pointed out, turning to the refrigerator, getting out a carton of eggs, and then bending down to retrieve a frying pan. “I normally cannot wake you until at least seven-thirty.” He paused after he set the items in his hands upon the counter, sniffing the air. “Is that _coffee_?” He frowned at Noctis. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”  

“Specs, I’m _fine_ ,” Noctis promised. “Here.” He reached up onto a shelf and grabbed a mug, filling it from the now completely brewed pot of coffee and handing it to Ignis. “Have some Ebony.”

“I didn’t even know you _had_ Ebony.”

“Surprise.”

Ignis took the coffee hesitantly, taking only a small sip, as if it he expected it to taste awful. Well, Noctis couldn’t really say he blamed him. His track record in the kitchen was against him. But apparently it was good enough to satisfy Ignis’ tastes, for he quickly resumed his work at the stove.

Noctis watched him for a moment, handing him a spatula when he tipped the eggs into the pan to make an omelette. He had always liked watched Ignis work - it was mesmerizing, like watching one of those cooking shows on television, only better because he wasn’t one of those annoying TV chefs who had to explain every little thing they did. But today, he found that he didn’t want to watch. He didn’t want to sit quietly and wait for his breakfast. He had news, a secret, something to say, and it was just _begging_ to be told.

“So you know I’m eighteen now,” he finally said, unable to take this waiting any longer.

Ignis raised an eyebrow at him. “I am aware,” he drawled.

“And being eighteen has certain privileges.”

“Where are you going with this, Noct?”

Ignis had finished making the omelette, plating it and putting in front of Noctis before he began to make another one for himself. Noctis picked up a fork, taking a big bite despite his eagerness to tell his friend his big news. It was good - no, _great._ Not that that was a surprise. Everything Ignis cooked was great.

He swallowed the bite in his mouth. “People often get their soulmarks when they turn eighteen.”

Recognition dawned on Ignis’ face. “Then I take it you have received your mark?”

“Maybe.”

“And who is the lucky person?”

“It’s Prompto.”

To Noctis’ surprise, Ignis dropped the spatula. It fell out of his hand, hitting the floor with a metallic thud, clattering around a few times before it stilled. Ignis flushed, and quickly bent down to retrieve it and place it in the sink, grabbing a new one from a drawer and using it to plate the second omelette.

Well. Noctis certainly hadn’t expected that reaction. “Specs?” he asked warily, taking another bite.

“You’re sure of this, Noct?”

In response, he held out his left arm, showing Ignis the name clearly scrawled onto his skin. “Can you believe it?” he asked, unable to resist the smile creeping onto his face.

But Ignis didn’t seem to share his joy. He looked… hesitant, uncertain. Pursing his lips, he said, “Noctis, I don’t think you should mention this to Prompto.”

Noctis froze, frowning. “What? Why?”

“I don’t think you should speak of it until you’ve talked to your father.”

“Why would I wait?”

“If you will recall, you have recently been betrothed to Lady Lunafreya-”

“ _Shit,_ ” Noctis breathed, feeling like he’d been punched in the stomach. “Luna.”

In his excitement, he had completely forgotten the fact that he was _engaged._ In addition to feeling like he’d had the wind knocked out of him, he now felt incredibly shitty, for what kind of person forgot something like that?

He liked Luna. She didn’t deserve to be forgotten like this, to be tossed to the side like the second best option when something better came along. But this was Prompto - _Prompto._ His soulmate. Luna was many things to Noctis - friend, confidante, partner - but she wasn’t that. The Crystal had not bonded them together the way his father and mother had been bound.

He could not marry her, not now.

But… did he have to? Surely his father wouldn’t make him go through with it, not now that Noctis knew who he was truly supposed to be with. Neither of them had even wanted the marriage in the first place; it had been pushed on them by the Empire as a part of the treaty, and his father had acquiesced, determined to forge a lasting peace for his people.

Surely these were extenuating circumstances?

“It doesn’t matter.”

The words left his mouth before he was aware that he had said them, surprising him as much as they did Ignis.

But he could not take them back, nor did he want to.

“It doesn’t matter that they’re trying to marry me to Luna,” he continued. “She’ll understand everything if I explain it to her. She wouldn’t want to go through with the marriage if she knew the truth.”

“Noctis-”

“And I’m telling Prompto.”

Ignis nodded slowly, a weary look on his face suggesting that he had known this would be Noctis’ answer. But unless he was mistaken, there was also something like pride in his advisor’s eyes, a rare spark of approval that made Noctis even more sure of his chosen course of action.

“That is your prerogative. But Noct… you understand that I will have to tell your father of this?”

He paused, uncertain. His father had made it clear, all of those years ago, that he needed to tell him when he learned who his soulmate was. _He_ needed to - Noctis, not Ignis. But perhaps it would be better if there was a degree of separation there. Were Noctis to go to his father now, he knew he would not be able to control his emotions. Nor would he have the logical arguments he would need to make his father see his side of things. Yes, better to let Ignis do it, and let Noctis face him later. That would still give the King notice that Prompto needed to be protected, and it would give Noctis the time that he needed.

He nodded to Ignis, accepting the plan. “Yeah. I know you do.”

“They will probably try to stop you from seeing Prompto.”

 _How dare they,_ he thought to himself, enraged at the mere thought of anyone trying to take his friend away from him. They hadn’t even done anything yet! But Ignis was only pointing this out, only making the possibility known. So Noctis jutted his chin out stubbornly, hands on his hips. “Let them try.”

“There may be consequences.”

“Bring it on.”

More than ready to get to school, Noctis grabbed his empty plate and placed it in the sink. Ignis was watching him carefully, though what he was looking for, Noctis couldn’t say.

He grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair, shrugging it on over his shoulders.

“Here,” Ignis said suddenly, taking a glove from one of his pockets and handing it to Noctis, “At least promise me that you’ll wear this.”

Noctis wrinkled his nose up at the suggestion. “What? Why?” He hardly wanted to wear this all day - for one thing, Ignis’ hands were still a bit bigger than his, and for another, it felt wrong. Ignis wasn’t Ignis without his gloves.

“You should, at the very least, hide your soulmark,” Ignis explained. “For Prompto’s safety as much as your own.”

Oh. He supposed that did make sense.

“Uh, okay.”

But that didn’t mean he was going to wear Ignis’ glove. He tossed it back to his advisor, who easily caught it one-handed.  

“I have my own gloves, Specs. Keep yours.”

He retreated to his bedroom, digging around in his closet for some of the fingerless gloves he had stashed there. He liked to wear them when he was sparring, or doing something with his hands. They gave him a better grip, he had found, and protected him from some of the blisters and calluses that always seemed to cover Gladio’s palms. He wasn’t vain about such things, but he also didn't want to expose himself to unnecessary pain if he could avoid it.

Noctis returned to find Ignis waiting for him by the door. He held up his left arm, displaying the black glove he’d pulled on. “Better?”

Ignis looked immensely relieved. “Much.”

Noctis looked a little closer and saw that Ignis was thinking furiously, eyes slighted glazed over as he went through innumerous calculations in his head. This worried Noctis a bit; it was normal for Ignis to be thinking far more than anyone else in a room. But this early in the morning? With that pained of an expression?

His joy at discovering his soulmark was gone, he found, replaced with a hollow sort of feeling that settled in his gut like lead. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why? When his father had explained everything to him, years ago, and again, when Ignis and his teachers had brought the subject up, it had all sounded so simple. If you were given a soulmate, you found them and loved them. His father had found his mother, and they had been married within a week, he’d been told.

But his own situation had turned out to be quite different.

“Ignis?”

“Yes, Noct?”

“What’s going to happen?”

For perhaps the first time in Noctis’ life, Ignis was completely devoid of an answer. “I don’t know,” he said softly. He hesitated, and then added, “It could be several days before anything is decided.”

“I want to be happy.” He hated how petulant he sounded, how childish, but _dammit,_ it was the truth.

“I know.”

“Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Didn’t he get a say in the matter? Or was this too, to be decided by a bunch of people who barely knew him, a bunch of people who got to dictate what was necessary for the kingdom?

Ignis had no answer for him.


	2. Spero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kind words and kudos on the first chapter! I appreciate them all :)

“You okay, buddy?”

Prompto jostled Noctis on the arm, giving him what he probably hoped was a winning smile. It looked a little more like a grimace, not quite meeting his bright blue eyes.

 _He knows,_ Noctis thought to himself. _Someone’s said something to him._

His thoughts immediately went to Ignis, because _of course_ Ignis would have called Prompto to find out the truth, to find out whether or not Prompto bore Noctis’ signature somewhere upon his body. He would need to know, in order to tell the King. For a moment, he hated his advisor, hated him for telling Prompto his secret, the news that should have been his and his alone to tell. The next moment, he was blessing Ignis, because now Prompto knew and he didn’t have to say anything.

“No,” he said finally, answering his friend’s question. “I’m not.”

They were alone, sitting next to one another atop the school building during their lunch period. It was hot, the August sunlight beating down on them and making them sweat through their jackets. Part of Noctis wanted to go inside and sit down in a corner, rest his head in his hands and go to sleep for the rest of the day. 

But he couldn’t. Not yet. There was too much still to do, too much still to talk about. 

It was an exhausting thought. His head already ached from thinking about the situation all morning, and his stomach was churning dangerously as he flitted from one emotion to another, over and over and over again. 

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. “What am I gonna do?” he asked. “What are _we_ gonna do?”

Hesitantly, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not it was allowed, Prompto reached up and put an arm around him, drawing them closer together despite the heat. He didn’t have an answer for Noctis, and somehow that seemed appropriate.

“Can I see it?” he asked instead, voice small.

Noctis removed the glove on his hand, showing Prompto the looping signature on his wrist. His friend traced it with his fingers, awed, and then looked down at his lap, where his own left hand sat.  

“I wanted to tell you when I got mine a few months back,” he said, “but I didn’t know if it was okay. I mean, there was you and Luna, and the engagement, and I guess I didn't even think about what would happen when you got yours…” He trailed off, letting out a little nervous laugh. “Oops?”

Noctis reached out and grabbed Prompto’s left wrist, hidden beneath a black leather glove similar to the one covering his own wrist. He studied the arm for a moment, looking at the fine bone structure of his friend’s hand, at the freckles covering his skin. His thumb pressed on the outside corner of the wrist, where he bore Prompto’s name on his own skin. “Is it here?” he asked. “Your mark?”

His friend nodded, letting the glove slide down a bit to expose more skin. Noctis immediately recognized his own signature, his name spelled out in his own slanted, slightly messy cursive.

It was strange to see, odd.

And yet it made him happy, giving him a brief respite from the tumultuous emotions he had been subject to all morning. He had to wonder - how had Prompto felt when he had received his soulmark, when he had discovered that it was Noctis whom the Crystal had selected as his soulmate?

“Were you happy?” he asked, giving voice to his concern. Prompto blinked at the question, and he added, “When you got your mark. When you saw it was my name.”

“I was… I was _so_ excited, Noct,” the blonde replied, leaning forward slightly in his eagerness. “You, uh… you might know this already, but I _may_ have a tiny bit of a crush on you. Just a small one.” Noctis smiled, silently urging him to continue. “So when I saw it, I just couldn’t believe it. You! And me! _Soulmates_?!” He shook his head, letting out another nervous laugh. “Honestly, it seemed a little too good to be true, you know? Like, the type of thing that happens in a movie, not real life.”

“Yeah,” Noctis replied. “That’s kinda how I felt this morning.”

He felt emboldened by Prompto’s words, comforted to know that Prompto returned his feelings, that Prompto wanted this as much as he did. Slowly, he reached out to lace their fingers together, drawing their connected hands onto his knee.

Prompto beamed at him. “You were happy?” he asked, squeezing Noctis’ hand.

“ _Really_ happy.”

“Like… really, really? You aren’t just saying that or something-”

“ _Prompt.”_ Noctis turned towards him more fully now, trying his best to look serious.

The blonde’s smile turned sheepish. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I’m just… nervous, I guess?” He ran his free hand through his hair, letting it settle on the back of his neck. “I mean, there’s no reason to be, but I am, a little?”

“I know. I am too.”

“What?!” Prompto stared at him, eyes narrowing in concentration. “Really? You don’t look like it!”

“Promise.” Noctis raised their joined hands, extricating his fingers so that he could pull the other’s palm towards him. He settled it just over his chest, where his heart was beating rapidly against his ribs. Prompto’s eyes widened when he felt it, and Noctis smiled. “See? Just as nervous as you are.”

Prompto kept his hand where it was, even when Noctis let his own fall to his lap. He didn’t mind the contact, didn’t mind the extra warmth such a touch sent throughout his body. Nor did he mind when Prompto shuffled a little closer him, moving so their faces were scant inches apart.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

“It’s more than okay,” Noctis replied. His heart skipped a beat when Prompto reached out to touch his face, and Prompto grinned.

“I felt that.”

His hands were more sure now, more confident as they traced the contours of Noctis’ cheekbones, finally settling down so that his fingers were threading back through silky black hair. Noctis sat very still, letting his friend do whatever he wished; he didn’t quite trust himself to move just yet, and nor, quite honestly, did he have any desire to. Prompto’s fingers were cool and slim, not nearly as calloused as Noctis’ own, and they felt wonderful against his overheated skin.

“Noct.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Noctis’ breath caught in his throat. _Gods, yes,_ he thought, his inner voice yelling that yes, Prompto could kiss him, that that was exactly what he had wanted for months, years even. And yet when he opened his mouth to reply, the only thing that came out was a strangled, “ _Please,_ ” anything more eloquent dying in his throat.

It was gentle as far as kisses went. Or so Noctis supposed - he hadn’t ever kissed anyone before, not like this. But he liked it - he liked how soft Prompto’s lips were against his own, how warm they were. He liked how Prompto tasted, how it felt when his friend’s lips moved against his own. The kiss lasted only a moment, perhaps not even a second, and yet Noctis knew then and there that he would never get enough of the feeling.

“Uh, wow.” Prompto laughed. “Was that as good for you as it was for me? Because-”

Noctis didn’t let him finish, reaching a hand round his friend’s neck to pull him in for another kiss, swallowing the surprised, delighted noise he made.

The second time was even better, longer and more insistent. Prompto pressed forward, backing Noctis up until he was leaning against the side of the school building and then further still, until he was almost seated in Noctis’ lap. He never once broke the kiss, easing his lips over Noctis’ in a way that was slowly, perfectly intoxicating.

Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto’s neck, spreading his legs a little wider to give the other more room to maneuver. A part of him realized that this was probably a terrible idea, that they were practically out in the open, and _gods_ , Ignis would have a heart attack if he knew. But a much larger part of him didn’t give a damn, too caught up in the feel and taste and sound of Prompto in his arms.

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth a little, tongue darting out to lick at Prompto’s lips. The other’s mouth fell open instantly, and Noctis deepened the kiss, groaning as their tongues met. What had been soft and sweet quickly grew hot and heated, his breath speeding up a bit as their mouths moved together more fervently, excitement and desire gripping him tight.

Prompto’s seemed similarly affected, his grip on Noctis a little stronger now, a little more urgent. Suddenly, Noctis felt hot, too hot, and his blasted jacket was too constrictive around his chest; he should just take it off, maybe his shirt too, and surely Prompto could do with a little less clothing, and -

He pulled back, startled. Prompto blinked at him, dazed, eyes blown wide and lips swollen and glistening. “What is it?” he asked. “Do you want to stop?”

“No,” he said quickly. _Never._ “But - ah, we should.”

Prompto looked down, taking in Noctis’ flushed cheeks, heaving chest, and then trailing down further still. He flushed a little himself then, and sat back on his legs, finally relinquishing the grip he had on Noctis. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said, grinning. “Probably shouldn’t do this on top of a school.”

“It’s gotta be against some law or another,” Noctis agreed.

“More than one, even!”

They laughed, and the humor mellowed the mood a bit. Prompto leaned back a little more, resting on his hands now, and Noctis scooted over to the side, bringing his knees up to his chest.

“Specs would kill me if I got caught making out up here.”

“Dude, no, he’d kill _me_ because I was the one kissing you,” Prompto retorted.

“Yeah,” Noctis said, grinning. “You were.”

Prompto returned the smile. “I was, wasn’t I?” He sighed then, looking up to the skies in exasperation. “Too bad this is _really_ not the time or place!”

He was right - _this_ wasn’t the time or place. But after school… He probably shouldn't - he had no doubt that Ignis and his father and gods knew who else would want to talk to him, drag him into meetings - and yet he felt oddly defiant. Who cared what _they_ wanted? He wanted to hang out with Prompto, and that was that. Noctis turned to Prompto, a plan already forming in his head, and he nudged his friend with his elbow. “Hey,” he said, “you wanna come over to my place this afternoon? After school?” 

“Dude, I’m not that easy!”

“What? No! That isn’t-”

Prompto laughed at him, elbowing him back. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’m just teasing you.”

“I mean, we can if you want, but I just-” Prompto’s words hit him then, and he scowled. “Jerk.”

This only made his friend laugh harder. “You like this jerk.”

Noctis sighed. “I do.”

The school bell rang then, signaling the end of the lunch period, and both of them rose to their feet reluctantly, heading back downstairs for a dull afternoon of math, physics, and government classes. They received a few odd looks coming down from the roof, but Noctis ignored them. None of them would say anything to him about it - a side benefit of being the prince, he supposed.

Prompto nudged him once they were back in the main hallway, drawing his attention as they walked towards their respective classrooms. “So what did you have in mind?”

“Hmm?”

“For this afternoon,” Prompto clarified, “when you invited me over. If it wasn’t to get in my pants - not that I blame you for trying! - what’d you have in mind?”

Noctis shrugged. “Honestly, I just wanna be with you,” he admitted.

The smile Prompto gave him made him feel hot and bothered all over again.  

The bell rang again, and they were forced to separate, Noctis heading further down the hall for calculus, and Prompto taking a few steps backward for physics. But just as he stepped forward, Prompto caught his hand, holding it just long enough to let Noctis know he’d done it on purpose. He was grinning, even as he backtracked to his room.

“Throw in a pizza and you got a date, mister.”

* * * * *

“Hey, Specs.”

Noctis slid into the backseat of the car, scooting over so Prompto could take the seat beside him.

“Hi, Ignis!” the blonde added.

Ignis nodded to them, briefly catching their eyes in the rearview mirror. “Hello,” he said.

Noctis could hear the fatigue in his voice, and a spike of unease lanced through him. Had the other been in meetings all day? Had they gone… badly? Ignis always worked himself hard, but he rarely sounded _this_ tired when he picked Noctis up from school.

He couldn’t help but think that he - and his soulmark - was the cause.

“Could we swing by that ice cream place before going back to my place?” he asked. “It’s so hot out.” He fanned himself a little for emphasis, even though the car was blissfully cool compared to the outside.

Truth be told, he didn’t really want ice cream. He wanted to get back to his apartment as quickly as possible. He wanted to shut himself away with Prompto, daring anyone to try and separate them. But Ignis had a soft spot for desserts, and Noctis thought perhaps his friend could use the break.

To his dismay, Ignis flat-out refused him.

“Normally, I would oblige, but I’m afraid we can’t today,” he said firmly. “Your father has asked me to bring you to him.”

Noctis stilled, a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning coming over him.  “Dad wants to see me?” he asked. “Why?”

He knew why. There could only be one reason.

“He did not say.”

Ignis knew there was only one possible reason too, he just wasn’t admitting it. Noctis was sure of that, for his friend was pointedly avoiding his gaze in the rearview mirror.

He pressed on, trying to drag it out of him. “Is this… is this about my soulmark?”

Ignis was abnormally still in his seat, hands tense on the steering wheel as he pulled out onto a main thoroughfare. He was trying very hard to keep up appearances, Noctis thought, attempting very hard to pretend that nothing was the matter.

“I cannot say for certain, Noct, but I think it likely.” His voice was soft, lacking some of its usual precision. No doubt he intended it to be gentle, comforting, but Noctis found it anything but.

“Aw, man, maybe I should go,” Prompto said suddenly. Noctis turned to look at him, and saw his own anxiety mirrored in his friend’s eyes. “We can have a King’s Knight tournament some other day.”

That was what they had decided to do at Noctis’ apartment. They had spent all of sixth period texting each other instead of paying attention to their classes, and a King’s Knight tournament had sounded perfect to them - pizza and video games. Maybe some kissing. The perfect first date.

Anger surged up in Noctis then, anger that people were trying to take this away from him before it had even had a chance to begin. “No way-” he began hotly.

But he never got to finish his sentence.

“The King wishes you to accompany us as well, Prompto,” Ignis smoothly interjected, cutting him off before his irate diatribe could begin.  

Prompto’s eyebrows rose up so high they nearly disappeared into his hair. “Whoa, he does?!” he asked. Noctis saw him swallow, forcing down his nerves. “What for?”

Noctis looked up to the rearview mirror, hoping to catch Ignis’ eyes. “Is this about our safety?” he asked.

The other finally met his gaze then, just for a moment, and Noctis knew he’d hit on the crux of the issue. “I suspect your father will be able to tell you more,” Ignis replied, maintaining his neutral tone of voice. “He did not mention as such to me.”

“But do you think that’s what he’s intending? To keep us safe?”

“There is that distinct possibility.”

Noctis had to purse his lips to bite down on the other questions he wished to ask. He could tell from the way Ignis was talking that his friend didn’t know any more than he did. Demanding answers would get him nowhere. No, he would have to wait until he was face-to-face with his father. Only he would have the answers Noctis sought.

The rest of the drive to the Citadel was silent, terribly, uncomfortably so. Every now and then, Prompto would attempt to start a conversation, but each time he would trail off, looking down at his clasped hands as if he’d lost his train of thought. Ignis, too, seemed entirely distracted, a distance in his eyes that Noctis recognized as his advisor thinking hard.

For his part, he scrambled to recall the list of reasons he had devised earlier as to why his father should let him stay with Prompto. He had had a whole litany of them, arranged in order from most to least compelling. Ignis would have been proud of his organizational scheme. But now, they were all fleeing from him, gone, as if he had never taken the time to think them up in the first place.

It was incredibly frustrating.

After what felt like a lifetime, they arrived at the Citadel, and Ignis pulled into the parking garage with practiced ease. Noctis leapt out of the car, eager despite his ire, and he pulled Prompto close to him as they followed Ignis into the main part of the palace. Just let them try to take his friend - no, his _soulmate_ \-  away from him.

He dared them.

Ignis led them straight to the floor that housed the royal apartments. At the top of the elevator, Clarus was waiting to take them to the King, his face impassive. Noctis let Ignis and Prompto lead the way, bringing up the rear as they were led to a small sitting room. He had to suppress a snort as he recognized it as the same one where his father had first told him of soulmarks, all those years ago. The place hadn’t changed a bit, every piece of furniture in precisely the same location as it had been before.

Clarus left them, going to announce their presence, and Ignis took a seat, motioning for the two of them to do the same. Prompto did so, easily sinking down into a chair by the window, but Noctis found that he was too agitated to sit. He remained standing, bouncing from the ball of one foot to the other, arms crossed over his chest.

What was taking Clarus so long? What could he possibly be saying to his father? Noctis was annoyed by the wait, anxious to get inside the room and talk. He felt like he was bursting at the seams, hot words ready to spew from his mouth at the slightest provocation.

It probably wasn’t very becoming in a prince.

He didn’t care.

“Dude, is this entire _floor_ your dad’s?” Prompto asked suddenly. “It’s huge!”

The question caught Noctis off guard. “Well, I used to live here too,” he said absently, not looking away from the door Clarus had disappeared behind. “When I was little.”

“Really? Man, this is so _nice_! I mean, I always thought it would be, your dad’s the _King_ , but I didn’t think it would be this sweet, and - ah, I’m rambling. Again.”

This time, Noctis did look over at his friend, and the sheepish smile on his face was so endearing that he couldn’t help but smile back. Despite his agitation, despite Ignis’ stiff aloofness, despite _everything,_ Prompto was still Prompto. He was still managing to be cheerful and bright, even if it was a little forced.

He was perfect, and by the Six, how had Noctis gotten so lucky?

“I don’t mind,” he said, finally replying to Prompto’s words. “Ramble away.”

But at that precise moment, the door reopened and Clarus reappeared, and this time, Noctis’ father was trailing on his heels. He walked a little slower now, requiring a cane to take the support off his bad leg, but his gaze, when it fell upon Noctis was the same as ever - warm, loving, and oh so understanding.

Ignis rose to his feet and swept into a bow, urging Prompto to do the same. Noctis remained upright, trying to determine what was going to happen by his father’s body language. But the King was impossible to read. He always had been.

“Noctis,” he said, nodding his head slightly. His green eyes turned to Ignis then. “Ignis, thank you for bringing him. And Prompto, thank you for accompanying them. As we agreed then, Ignis; we shan’t be more than half an hour, I suspect.”

Noctis whirled around, startled to see Ignis beckoning Prompto to follow him. “What?” he asked sharply, involuntarily taking a step towards his friends. Ignis’ eyes had gone wide at the betrayal in his voice, and Prompto looked confused. “What do you mean, ‘as you agreed’?”

“I am just going to be keeping Prompto company while you speak to your father,” his advisor said quickly, his tone placating, soothing. “I assure you, nothing untoward will happen.”

Noctis felt guilty then. This was Ignis - _Ignis,_ his friend. Ignis would not betray him like this, Ignis would not let anyone hurt Prompto or take him away. But a little voice inside him whispered that Ignis would do his duty, regardless of what it meant, and the insidious little thought would not go away, much as he tried to force it back.

He turned to his father, needing a second confirmation and hating himself for it.

The King nodded. “This will only take a moment, son.”

He hesitated only for a second, and then he turned to Prompto and gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile. He had to believe in Ignis, in his father. He had to believe that they would protect his soulmate in his absence. If he began to doubt them now, everything would begin to fall apart, and that was exactly what he _didn’t_ need.

Noctis followed his father into his private study, forcing himself to look away as Ignis motioned Prompto back down the hall towards the elevator. His soulmate was in good hands, he told himself, the _best_ hands. Nothing was going to happen.

Nothing.

Clarus did not follow them into the room. It was just Noctis and his father, the two of them standing awkwardly on either side of a large wooden desk. The King finally sat, his bad leg getting the better of him, and looked up at Noctis with a soft, sad smile.

“My dear boy,” he said quietly.

That was it - that was all he said. No reassurance that everything was going to be alright, no pleas for him to see things one way or another, no lecture on duty and the way that things must be. Just those three little words, accompanied by a look so achingly gentle and understanding, it broke something inside of Noctis.

“I can’t do it.”

The words spilled from his mouth before he could take them back. They were harsh to his ears, his voice rough and grating. His hands had balled up into fists at his side, and he was stubbornly blinking back hot tears. He was angry, he realized.

He was angry at the mere thought of someone trying to take his soulmate away from him, and he wanted his father to know it.

“I can’t marry Luna, Dad, I can’t. I _won’t_.”

His father leaned forward in his seat a little, his brow creased. “Noctis-”

“It wouldn’t be fair, not to any of us,” he continued. “I can’t do it.”

“I understand-”

“You told me you wanted to _protect_ Prompto! You told me that _that_ was why I had to tell you when I got my soulmark!”

“And I meant it. I _do_ want to protect Prompto.”

“Then why are you trying to take him away from me?”

This was a step too far, and Noctis knew it. He had no idea what his father was thinking, what his father expected him to do in this situation. It wasn’t fair to accuse him of wrongdoing like this, and Noctis _knew_ it. But he also knew that he was irrationally, terribly _hurt_ by the thought that it might be true, and he could neither stop nor rescind the accusation that he made.

“Noctis!” His father’s voice was sharp, pained, and Noctis froze. “Do you really think I would ever left someone take your soulmate from you?”

He paused then, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. He stared at his father, desperate for an answer, and in so doing, he found that he almost did not recognize the man. Only now did he see how tired and how very small his father looked, how there was anguish and heartbreak in his green eyes. The smile he had worn earlier was gone, replaced by an expression so terribly, terribly sad that Noctis’ anger faded, dying as quickly as had it come on.

Of course his father wouldn’t let anyone take Prompto away from him - not when his own soulmate had been ripped from him so soon after their marriage, after such little time together.

Noctis felt ashamed of himself, at his childish outburst. “No, I don’t think that,” he said, stumbling into the chair opposite his father and sinking his head down onto the desk. “Not really.” His voice sounded thick to his ears and he knew that he was going to cry, the anger, guilt, and shame too much to bear. Stubbornly, he tried to push the tears away, hanging his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

A hand fell onto his head then, patting his hair the same way it had when he was a child. There was a sigh, somewhere above him, and just like that, the mood shifted, red hot anger turning to a dull somber gray.  “As am I, Noctis. It is I who should be sorry for this terrible situation you have been placed in, for all of the fear and worry this has caused you. You and Prompto both. Forgive me for giving into my anger for a moment - it is unbecoming of you and I both, warranted as it is.”

Noctis looked up, sniffling. “But it isn’t your fault. This isn’t anyone’s fault.” As soon as he spoke, he knew it for truth. This _wasn’t_ anyone’s fault - it was just pure bad luck, plain and simple.

“No, it isn’t,” his father agreed. “But you are in pain, and I am at least partially to blame for that.” He shook his head, and the anger returned to his eyes for a moment, flashing bright and sharp in his otherwise stern face. “I never wanted to force an arranged marriage upon you. It would not have been fair, not with the way that I married your mother, not with your hopes for a soulmate. I wanted to wait until you were older, and see how things played out. But now…”

He raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing the skin there as if it hurt. “The marriage to Lady Lunafreya is part of the treaty that I signed with the Empire,” he explained. “If I break the treaty, the Empire will have just cause to go to war with us, and we cannot defend ourselves against that kind of assault for long.”

Noctis’ throat constricted painfully, for he had no counterargument. His father was right. The marriage was a part of the treaty, and there was nothing that could be done about that now. There was very little that could have been done about it _then,_ back when his father had signed the damned thing. Lucis had been in no position to negotiate, and a King had to do what was best for all of his people, not just those he cared about.

His father had had no choice.

Did he?

“I have to marry her,” he said softly, voice breaking as he said it.

“You do.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing back the liquid that threatened to spill from them.

“Or at least… everything has to _think_ you do.”

Noctis’ eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat. “What?” he choked, blinking at his father in absolute disbelief.

“Everyone must _believe_ that you are marrying Lunafreya, Noctis. Everyone must take it for the truth.” He paused, fixing Noctis with a very grave expression. “Do you understand me?”

“Everyone has to think I’m marrying Luna,” he repeated. His father nodded.

“This will require the two of you to maintain the most absolute secrecy. When in public, you and Prompto must be friends, and only that. You must not give anyone reason to think that there is more between you than there is. I will place Prompto under the protection of the Crownsguard as well; he will be watched at all times, and if he agrees, he will also begin special training so that if an attack _does_ happen, he will be prepared for it.”

“You… you will?”

“I told you that I would protect your soulmate, Noctis,” his father said softly. “And that is one promise I will not break. But in order for this to work, you must play your part perfectly. You both must.”

He could stay with Prompto. It would be hard, and some sacrifices would have to be made, but he didn’t have to give up his friend. He didn’t have to marry someone else.

The enormity of what this all meant hit him like a ton of bricks. He suddenly realized that his father was actively defying the law, fully aware of the consequences, in order to make him happy. Guilt rushed through him - how could he have ever accused this man of trying to hurt him, when all he had ever done was show Noctis the opposite?

He did start crying then, tears finally falling in hot rivulets down his face. He brought a hand up, scrubbing at his eyes and trying to wipe them dry, but it was no use. The events of the day had finally caught up to him, and he simply could not keep the emotions at bay anymore - anger, fear, worry, concern, _relief_. It would have been too much for anyone to bear.

After a few moments, his father stood and shuffled over to the chair next to his, sitting down heavily and placing a hand on his shoulder. He took comfort in the gesture, turning towards his father and leaning into him in a way that he hadn’t since he was a small child. He let Noctis cry for as long as he needed to, moving his hand in gentle circles on Noctis’ arm, a silent source of strength and warmth.

When Noctis could speak again, he asked his father what the council was going to say about this. To his surprise, his father snorted in a rather amused sort of way. “The council? Who says that I am going to tell them anything?” he demanded.

“But won’t they have to come to some decision?” Noctis asked.

“They haven’t yet, but they will. Eventually.” His father sighed, leaning heavily on his cane. “You’d think that a group of the smartest men and women the kingdom has to offer would be able to come to some sort of consensus, but I fear they’re remarkably hard-pressed to agree on anything. Gods, it was madness in there this morning.” He shook his head, and then offered Noctis a small smile, one not tinged with sadness and regret. “I must confess, I stopped paying attention about an hour into the proceedings. I couldn’t listen to them any longer.

“As it is, we will let them think that the plan to marry you to Lunafreya is still in place. That should please most of them; it is the course of action they were leaning towards, the last I heard. And you will continue to act as if that was the case. The only ones who will know the truth will be you and I, Prompto, and Ignis and Gladiolus, should you wish to tell them. Oh, and Clarus. He knows as well.”

Of course he did. There was very little his father kept from Clarus, Noctis had discovered over the years. They were almost as close as he and Prompto were - perhaps closer. Noctis had never asked.

He would tell Ignis and Gladio, of course. They would have to be in on the secret, if they were to make this work. Plans like this needed accomplices, and who better than his two oldest friends? They would keep the secret; he believed that with all of his heart.

He frowned, thinking of one other person whom they would need to inform.  

“And… and Luna? Does she know?”

“Ah.”

His father stood, walking back to the other side of the desk. He picked up a sealed envelope and handed it to Noctis, who turned it over in his fingers, curious. There were no markings on the outside, no indication of what it was.   

“Around noon, when I decided that the council’s discussions were rather useless, I took it upon myself to contact Lady Lunafreya directly,” the King said. Noctis’ hand tightened around the envelope, crinkling the edges a little. “I was lucky - she was not busy, and had a moment of time to spare. I was able to explain the situation to her, and she was very quick to agree that it would be unfair to ask you to marry her when the Crystal had destined you for another.”

“Then... she knows the truth?”

“She does. And she is happy for you, Noctis.” His father smiled at him, gesturing to the envelope. “She asked me to print out a copy of a message and give it to you,” he said. “And now I have done so. Before you ask, I haven’t read it. I have no idea what it says.”

Noctis’ heart twisted in his chest, lost for words. He looked up at his father, who was still smiling at him. “Dad…” He didn’t know how to give voice to his feelings, didn’t know how he could ever manage to convey the gratitude in his heart.

But the King knew, even without him saying anything.

“My dear boy,” his father said, repeating his words from earlier, and this time, Noctis’ judgment was unclouded, and he could hear the raw love and affection in it.

They sat there for a moment, connected in silent understanding.

And then his father sat up, straightening papers on his desk. “Now,” he said, clearing his throat, “I believe you have something to tell Prompto.”

“Shit, yeah,” Noctis said, shaking his head a little as if to clear his thoughts.

“Language, Noctis,” the King said, smirking. “I suggested that Ignis take him to a little coffee shop on the floor beneath this one. I gave the store my credit card number and instructed the cashier to let the two of them order whatever they wanted, so hopefully they have caught my hint and taken their time trying out the pastry selection. They make an absolutely delicious millefeuille. You should be able to find them there.”

Somehow, Noctis managed to drag himself out of his father’s study after one more heartfelt thanks, past Clarus and down the hall to the elevators. He was thoroughly dazed, and how he’d managed not to fall on his face, he would never know. He felt clumsy but weightless, almost as if he had a fever and his muscles had gone limp. Was this what being drunk was like?

Once he managed to procure an elevator to take him down a floor, he remembered the envelope in his hands. He ripped it open, taking out the paper neatly folded inside and reading Luna’s message to him, heart beating fast and hard in his chest.

_Dearest Noctis,_

_Your father tells me that you have discovered your soulmate. I could not be happier for you, and I wish you and Prompto the utmost joy in your lives together._

_Do your best not to feel guilty, though I know you cannot help it. This is the will of the gods, of fate, and who are we to question it? Everything that has come to pass has happened for a reason, as has this. The Crystal has protected you and Lucis for long years now. Have faith in it a little longer._

_I will do my part to protect you in this. This, I promise you._

_All my love,_

_Luna_

Noctis drew in a deep, shaky breath to steady himself, the paper shaking in his hands. He was trembling with emotion, and it took him several attempts to get it back in the envelope, several more to put the envelope in one of his pockets.

What had he done to deserve friends and family like this? What could he have possibly done to warrant such love and devotion? It didn’t seem fair, that he was being given happiness on a silver platter when so many others were denied it.

His father’s voice came to him then, reminding him of a conversation they had had long ago, when Noctis had been but a child. He had asked why his mother had had to die, why she had been taken from him and his father so cruelly, so unexpectedly.

 _“Life isn’t fair, son,”_ his father had said. _“It gives and it takes, but never in equal measure, and never to those who we think deserve it most. But that does not mean we should deny ourselves happiness when it comes our way, just as we should not curse unhappiness when we experience it.”_

The words rang true to him now as they had not then, and Noctis allowed himself a small smile.

He did not deserve what he had been given. But that didn’t mean he shouldn’t accept it.

The elevator doors dinged open then, and bearing this thought in mind, he stepped out to go and find his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go! :) There might be a little delay in getting the last part out, as I have a busy weekend coming up, but I will try my best to post it soon.


	3. Amare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this out. 
> 
> I couldn't get things to flow just right, and I ended up completely rewriting a lot of what I had. Hopefully it's worth the wait!

Prompto felt like he couldn’t breathe.

It was as if there was some sort of pressure on his chest, some sort of weight that made it difficult for him to draw air in and out of his lungs.

He thought it had something to do with the waiting, the anticipation. Noctis had been with his father for maybe half an hour now, and Prompto was worried sick over what the King would have to say. Would he tell Noctis that he still had to marry Lunafreya, no matter what? Would he give him and Prompto leave to be together? Would he… would he try and force Noctis stop spending time with Prompto?

He took another bite of the pastry he’d gotten from the coffee shop, but it tasted like ashes in his mouth.

Ignis was talking, saying something about a member of the Crownsguard whose name Prompto vaguely recognized. He should have been paying attention, he thought guiltily. Ignis was doing his best to distract Prompto from everything else that was going on, and he was honestly doing an admirable job. But it was hard to focus.

“And what of you, Prompto? What are your plans after graduation?”

Prompto blinked at the sudden question. “Ah, technical school? I think?” He put on a smile and tried to act convincing. “I’ve always been good with machines and stuff.”

“Engineering, perhaps? Or something more vocational?”

“Nah, I could never do a four-year college!” Prompto said quickly, waving a hand.

“Mmm.” Ignis took a sip of his drink, and then set it back on the table. “I must admit, I wasn't expecting your answer. Noctis tells me that you like photography.”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I do!”

“Do you not want to pursue photography as a career, then?”

Prompto realized that Ignis was drawing his attention toward a subject he adored, thinking it might make him talk more. He felt a surge of gratitude for the older man then, and easily launched into an explanation of why becoming a photographer was harder than it might appear. The tactic worked, too - he was able to focus on lens types, different shutter speeds, action versus still photography, and all sorts of other things instead of on the talk Noctis was having with his father.

After they had exhausted that, Ignis asked him about running - another diversionary topic, but a good one just the same. Ignis knew more about that than he did about photography, and so the conversation was a little less one-sided.

Prompto was able to tell him about his training regimen, and how he wanted to start running longer distance races. Ignis expressed a bit of admiration for this, saying that he wasn’t sure he’d able to do anything longer than about ten kilometers. Prompto had laughed at that, waved the compliment off as if it were nothing. Because it was, really, in the grand scheme of things. He could run fast and far - so what? It was nothing compared to what Ignis, Gladio, or Noct could do with a weapon, what the three of them could do in the gym.

Come to think of it, maybe that was why he’d not told Noctis about his soulmark when he’d received it. He hadn’t felt good enough. He was just a commoner, a plebeian of the most ordinary type. He wasn’t particularly handsome, or strong, or smart. He was… just Prompto.

Was that good enough?

The chime above the cafe’s entrance rang out then, signifying someone had arrived. Prompto looked up, and his heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw Noctis in the door.

He stood, almost involuntarily, hands gripping the plastic table in front of him hard enough to make it shake. “Noct!”

Bright blue eyes locked onto his from across the room. Noct hesitated for just a moment, and then he was moving forward, walking towards Prompto as if he were in a daze. He stopped perhaps a foot away, his face unreadable. “Prompt,” he murmured.

Prompto hesitated - should he reach out for his friend, comfort him? Should he say something? Was that allowed, was that okay? His heart was pounding in his chest, beating almost painfully against his ribcage, the anticipation of what his friend would say next almost too much for him to bear.

But then Noctis smiled and fell into his arms, and Prompto knew everything was going to be alright.

He sagged with relief, even as his arms came up to wrap around the other’s shoulders. Noctis buried his face against Prompto’s collar, a slight tremor to his voice as he murmured, “It’s okay. _We’re_ okay.” He breathed out a low shaky, breath, cool against Prompto’s skin, and added, “He’s not gonna make me do it.”

Prompto almost couldn’t believe his ears. He jerked his head back, trying to see his friend’s face even as his hands tightened on Noctis’ sleeves. “Really?!”

“He called her - Luna,” Noct explained. “He called her and told her what had happened.”

“And she was okay with it?”

“She never wanted it in the first place. It was just something the Empire-”

“Ah-hem.”

Prompto looked over at Ignis, who had cleared his throat, and quickly took a step back, releasing his hold on Noctis. The advisor’s lips were curved up into the barest of smirks, his eyes fixed on Noctis’ hand, still holding Prompto’s lapel in a vice-grip.

“Not to ruin the mood,” he said lightly, “but perhaps we should move this celebration to somewhere a little more private?”

“Right,” Noct agreed, “Yeah. My place?”

Prompto’s stomach fluttered nervously at the suggestion. It wasn’t as if he’d never been to the other’s apartment. On the contrary, he was at Noctis’ place almost every day for something or another. But things were different now - more intimate. Now they weren’t just friends hanging out after school, and the barriers that they had feared might be placed around them had been cleared. 

They were soulmates, bound to protect and love each other for as long as they both should live. 

The thought sent a pleasant little tingle down his spine.

“I will escort you there,” Ignis offered, rising to his feet. Prompto almost laughed at the offended, dirty look full of meaning that Noctis sent his advisor’s way, but Ignis just chuckled, not bothered in the slightest by Noct’s scandalized gaze. “I won’t be staying, I promise. But I did tell your father that I would make sure you arrived home safely.”

Eager to leave, Prompto grabbed the tray that had once contained his and Ignis’ food from the coffee shop. “Here, I’ll get this!” he offered. He took all of the trash and dumped it in the bin, the used plates and forks going into receptacles atop the plastic can. It took only a matter of seconds, and he looked up to see if Ignis and Noctis were ready to go.

They were talking, speaking quietly so that Prompto couldn’t overhear. Noctis said something, and a surprising bit of emotion flared across Ignis’ face, so quickly the blonde thought perhaps he’d imagined it. But then Ignis was taking off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt, and Prompto knew whatever he’d seen had been real.

He gave it a few more seconds, and then rejoined the others. “Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Noctis smiled at him, and reached out to take his hand.

“Let’s go home.”

 _Home_.

Prompto liked the sound of that.

* * * * *

Ignis didn’t stay.

But he did make sure that Noctis and Prompto were fully stocked for a weekend in - he insisted on taking the two of them to the grocery store before returning to Noctis’ apartment, selecting various foods that could be prepared quickly with a stove or a microwave as well as lots of drinks. Noctis protested this, complaining that he already had plenty of stuff in his refrigerator - even if that was patently false - but Ignis ignored him. They were to stay inside for the entire weekend, he explained, to make sure that the two of them were safe. King’s orders. As such, they would need sustenance.

He also managed to sneak a box of condoms and a bottle of lubricant into one of the bags when Noctis wasn’t looking. Noctis didn’t find them until Ignis had already left, running off and muttering something about meeting Gladio before Noctis could shove the condoms back.

“What’re those?” Prompto asked, looking over Noctis’ shoulder.

“Nothing!” Noct said quickly, scrambling to hide the box.

But Prompto’s arms were longer than his were, and he easily plucked the box out of Noctis’ grip. “Whoa!” he said, laughing. “Moving a little fast, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t put those in there,” Noctis insisted, his cheeks burning. “I swear - that was Ignis.”

“I’m only joking,” Prompto said, grinning at him. He set the box on the counter, turning to Noct and throwing an arm around his waist. “He probably just wants us to be prepared.”

Noctis rolled his eyes, flinging a hand up to hide his flaming face. “Yeah, but I can buy my _own_ shit,” he muttered. “Gods.”

Prompto just laughed at him, pulling him tight to press a kiss to his cheek. It was a short, sweet thing, a gesture of affection more than passion. When he pulled back, his blue eyes were soft, teasing, and Noctis couldn’t help but smile in response.

But then he pulled away, looking down at the grocery bags and rubbing his hands together eagerly. “So,” he said, “about that pizza.”

Noctis chuckled. “Always thinking of food, huh?”

He leaned down to pick up one of the frozen pies Ignis had bought them. It wasn’t quite as good as anything you could get at an actual pizza parlor, but it would have to do; they had been strictly ordered against getting takeout.

“Hey, man, runners gotta eat!” Prompto moved towards him, easily plucking the box out of his hand. “I think I should do this,” he explained. “You can’t be trusted with appliances.”

“I can make a frozen pizza,” Noctis protested, moving to put the rest of the groceries away before they melted and dripped water all over the floor. He shoved them into the freezer indelicately, ignoring the way several of the cardboard boxes crinkled warningly.

“Hah! Good one,” Prompto joked, setting the temperature on the oven and rummaging around until he found a pizza pan.

“I can,” Noctis insisted, grabbing a bottle of soda for him and a water for Prompto.

“Dude, you weren’t even allowed to use the Bunsen burners in chem class,” Prompto reminded him, accepting the water with a nod of thanks. “You cannot be trusted around an open flame!”

“Ovens don’t have flames.”

“Well, then, you can’t be trusted around convection coils!”

Prompto slid the pizza out of its plastic covering and situated it on the pan he’d found. Judging that it would be a while before the oven was at the right temperature, he hopped up onto the counter to wait, patting the space beside him.

“No faith in me,” Noctis sighed, feigning hurt. He clambered up beside his friend, unscrewing the cap to his soda and taking a drink.

“Nope!” Prompto agreed. He softened the remark with a grin. “At least, not when it comes to cooking.”

Noctis snorted. “That’s probably smart.”

Prompto pulled out his phone, and silence fell between them. Noctis was a little grateful for it - now he had a bit of time to think, to process everything that had happened. He still couldn’t quite believe it. The lengths to which his father had gone to achieve his and Prompto’s happiness - just thinking about it made his chest tighten a bit. He had been wrong to doubt his father, wrong to ever think that the man wouldn’t help him. Noctis owed him so much.

And Luna - _gods,_ Luna. He had always loved her, as a friend, an older sister almost. But in this moment, he loved her even more, cherished her understanding and compassion. Were he capable of shedding any more tears this day, he would have. As it was, his eyes ached, the delicate skin of his eyelids red and aching from so much rubbing.

“Hey.”

Prompto’s quiet voice drew him from his thoughts.

“You okay?” the blonde asked, nudging his shoulder. “You have a… weird look on your face.”

Noctis shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

Noctis wasn’t normally one to open up to people. He had never found it easy to talk to others, to share his deepest secrets and feelings with them. Even with his closest, oldest friends, there was a barrier of sorts, a barricade separating him from them. Perhaps it was because of his status as the prince, forcing him to hold himself a little ways apart from most people; maybe it was just a quirk of his personality.

But Prompto was different. He was friendly and inviting, and an absolutely judgment-free zone. Noctis had been pleased to discover that he _did_ enjoy talking to Prompto - it had come as a surprise to him, back when they’d first started hanging out, that he wanted to share things with the blonde, wanted to keep their friendship open and easy. Luckily, he hadn’t questioned the impulse.  

The words began to pour from his mouth before he could stop them. He left nothing out, describing in detail the conversation he had had with his father. He spoke of his anger, the hurt he had felt when he thought his father had betrayed him, and his immediate guilt upon recognizing his error. He spoke of the duty his father had as the King of Lucis, how he was obligated to protect everyone, and not just Noctis’ best interests.

Prompto was good at listening, nodding at all of the important parts, asking minimal questions, prompting him to continue when he fell silent. Noctis found that it was… good to speak of things. It felt like a weight was physically lifting from his shoulders as he spoke, leaving him sitting up a little taller, breathing a little easier.

When he was finished, Prompto was looking at him in a way that made Noctis’ heart flutter nervously within his chest.

“Dude…” he said, trailing off. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

Noctis let out a weak laugh at that. “Honestly? Me either. It’s… overwhelming.”

Prompto reached out for him, drawing him into a hug. “But this is real, right? You… you aren’t gonna get taken away from me?”

“Never,” Noctis replied, gripping his friend a little harder. “I won’t let anyone do that.”

“Good. I mean, I understand this shit is kinda complicated, but I… I _want_ this, yeah? You and me, together.”

“Me too.”

“And I know I shouldn’t worry, because you and your dad have it under control, but I mean, can you blame a guy?”

“I know. But where I go, you go. Simple as that.”

Prompto relaxed against him, drawing back a little to look him in the eye. “‘Kay,” he said, smiling. A thought crossed his face then, and the smile faded a little. Noctis raised an eyebrow curiously, and he added, “Just… don’t go anywhere super dark or creepy?”

Noctis grinned. “Hey, no promises.”

Prompto sighed. “The things I do for love.”

_Love._

Noctis’ heart really _did_ skip a beat then. Neither of them had ever said the word in regard to each other before. It was too soon, too recent of a development in their relationship. But then again… was it? He had had feelings for Prompto for a long time now, and if what Prompto was saying was true, so had he. Was that love? Had the liking changed to loving sometime along the way, unbeknownst to either of them?

Prompto seemed to have realized what he had had said, and he laughed nervously, jumping off the counter to put the pizza in the oven.

Noctis watched his movements, a soft smile settling onto his features.

_Love._

He hopped off the counter, pulling Prompto towards him and trapping him in a corner. The other shot him a bewildered look, and Noctis was intent upon kissing it off his face. He leaned in, pressing his lips against the other’s.

When he pulled back, Prompto had an utterly delicious look upon his face, eyes blown wide and dazed. Noctis reveled in it, loved it, knew he would never get enough of it.

“How much time before the pizza’s done?”

Prompto looked down at his watch. “Uh, ten minutes.”

Noctis grinned, leaning in for another kiss. “Perfect.”

* * * * *

Prompto awoke to a feathery light, tickling sensation just under his nose.

He blinked several times, bewildered, until he recognized that there was also a comforting weight lying atop him and soft, fluffy pillows beneath his head. The tickling was a strand of his hair, pulled down to tease him. He had to resist the urge to sneeze as he raised his head, looking to see who had awoken him in such a fashion. Of course, he knew who it was before he locked gazes with the person resting their chin upon his chest. There was only person who would wake him up in such a fashion.

Noctis smiled at him sleepily.

“Hey,” he murmured, letting the strand of Prompto’s hair slip from his fingers. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Prompto replied. He raised himself up a little more, so that he could rest his weight on his elbows.

Noctis leaned forward, just enough that he could press his lips to Prompto’s in a soft, gentle kiss. Prompto hummed happily in response, letting the other take the lead in easing their mouths together.

“Happy birthday,” Noctis murmured.

Prompto pulled back, surprised. Come to think of it… it _was_ his birthday, wasn’t it? October twenty-fifth. He hadn’t _completely_ forgotten, but the past few days had been their school’s fall break, and he’d spent the entirety of it with Noctis, in his apartment. They had only left to eat and meet up with Gladio and Ignis. The days had all kind of melded together into one happy segment in his memories, dates and time forgotten.

Until Noctis had reminded him, of course.

“Thanks, man,” he said, finally replying to his friend’s well wishes. “Guess it is my birthday, huh?”

Noctis scrunched up his nose in that adorable, almost childish way he had. “You forgot it was your birthday?” he asked.

“What? No!” Prompto said, exaggerating his response. “Dude, I would _never_ forget my birthday.”

“You totally did.”

Prompto grinned. “I did,” he admitted.

“Hmm.” Noctis seemed to consider this for a moment, and then he grinned wickedly. “Guess I’ll have to give you a present so you don’t forget it again.”

The teasing words, uttered in Noctis’ roughened morning voice, sent a little spike of heat through him. “Yeah?” he replied, hands skimming down the blankets to loosely grip the other's sides. “What kind of present?”

“You’ll see.”

Noctis dipped below the covers then, pushing up the hem of the t-shirt Prompto had worn to bed and exposing the skin to the cool air. His flesh broke out in goosebumps as he waited in anticipation, wondering what would come next. He didn’t have long to wait - hot, soft lips pressed against his stomach in an open-mouthed kiss, and he let out a little appreciative noise. The lips didn’t stop there, traveling all across the expanse of his torso, paying close attention to all of his most sensitive spots.

His shirt was pushed up a little higher then, and Prompto hurried to take it off completely, throwing it to the wayside as Noctis leaned forward and captured a nipple between his teeth. Prompto gasped, hips arching up involuntarily at how good it felt. Noctis snaked a hand down, holding his hips into place as he licked at the little piece of flesh more firmly, knowing exactly what to do with his tongue in order to drive Prompto crazy.

It was working, Prompto thought, feeling his half-hard cock twitch when Noctis abandoned licking in favor of sucking. It was _really_ freaking working. His head fell back against the pillows, toes curling in want.

“Gods, Noct,” he murmured, reaching down to fist a hand in his soulmate’s dark hair. “That’s _so_ good.”

The other chuckled, moving slightly to the side so that he could tease Prompto’s other nipple, his hand coming up to toy with the one he had abandoned. “Just good?” he asked, scraping his teeth along heated, sensitive skin. Prompto’s hips jerked despite the other’s efforts at keeping them still, a moan torn from his lips. “I’ll have to up my game then.”

He broke away suddenly, surging forward to grab Prompto by the hair, pulling their lips together. This kiss was neither gentle nor soft, full of tongue and teeth and heat. Prompto gave as good as he got, but _gods,_ Noct was a fantastic kisser. It was nearly impossible for Prompto to believe that the other had had virtually no experience before they had gotten together a few months ago. How could someone with such little practical history know how to move his tongue _just so_ against Prompto’s, how to bite at his lower lip with _just enough_ pressure?

It wasn’t fair that Noct, who had always seemed so good at everything else, was also so good at this.

But then again, Prompto was the only one who got to experience it firsthand, so maybe he shouldn’t have been complaining.

Above him, Noctis shifted then, moving so that their hips were aligned. He pressed down into Prompto, grinding their cocks together, hips mimicking the motions of his tongue as he thrust it deep into Prompto’s mouth. Holy _frick,_ it was amazing, and the next time Noctis did it, Prompto moved with him, raising his hips up so they met halfway.

This time, it was Noctis who groaned into his mouth, lips going slack for a moment. Prompto took the opportunity to take control of the kiss, bringing a hand to the side of his soulmate’s face.

Not wanting to be outdone, Noct pushed back, using his free hand to hold their hips in place this time as he moved, keeping them together long after they had stopped moving.

They continued in this fashion for a good while, giving and taking in equal measure, eager to play this game of push and pull. A bead of sweat ran down Prompto’s face then, and he irritably wiped it away, hating the crawling sensation it caused. Its motion broke the kiss, and Noctis retreated, sliding further down Prompto’s body until he was sitting in his lap.

“You’re still wearing clothes?” Prompto breathed. “How?”

It wasn’t a particularly good question, considering he was still trapped in his pajamas bottoms, but he hadn’t asked in hopes of receiving an answer. The question was just a means to an end - that end being Noct, naked, above him.

His soulmate took the hint, grinning as he stripped out of his pajamas, leaving him bare and hard and _wonderful_ , seated on Prompto’s still clothed bottom half.

He rubbed himself along Prompto’s length, and the blonde let out a whine, the combined visual and tactile stimulation almost too much. He reached out a hand, grabbing the other’s cock, stroking him hard from base to tip, smearing a finger in the liquid seeping from the head. Now it was Noctis’ turn to moan, throwing his head back as he did so.

“Damn,” Prompto murmured, stroking the other again, and again. It would never cease to amaze him, he thought - Noctis, normally so reserved, so quiet, so seemingly emotionless, turned so breathy and wanton when aroused. He was the only one who got to see this, the only person who would ever get to see this side of the prince.

That, in and of itself, was a present.

“Get out of these,” Noctis said suddenly, voice gone hoarse. He meant Prompto’s pants, tugging on the drawstrings. “Now.”

Prompto willingly obliged, sighing a little in relief as his own cock was freed from its confines. The noise quickly turned into a stuttering gasp, however, as Noct reached down between them and grabbed him, deft fingers wrapping around the shaft and pulling, hard.

Gods, it was too much.

It wasn’t enough.

“Gimme your hand,” Noct breathed then, and Prompto obliged, releasing the other’s cock. From somewhere, he produced a bottle of something warm and wet, and he poured a generous amount of it in Prompto’s waiting hand. He then smeared some on his own fingers and threw the bottle to the side.

Noctis readjusted himself on Prompto’s lap so that their lengths were aligned, and then took both their hands, wrapping them around each other. “Like this,” he murmured, moving their hands together across both shafts, slow and steady. The lubricant made them slide together, velvet skin gliding against velvet, and it was _incredible._

Prompto was a quick learner, and soon their pace grew quick and frenetic. Neither of them were capable of speech anymore, their worlds reduced to each other, pleasure pooling hot and fast between them.

He didn’t think he could last much longer. Noctis seemed to realize this, and he lowered himself down, managing to capture Prompto’s lips in a fierce kiss. It was hot and sloppy, their bodies not quite properly aligned, but then Noct bit down, hard, on his lower lip, and Prompto gasped, coming all over his stomach.

His body went slack, hand sliding free of its grip, and Noctis retreated, focusing on himself now. It took only a few moments, and then he was coming too, gasping out Prompto’s name as he fell forward, barely catching himself before he completely collapsed.

When he could speak again, Prompto eked out a weary chuckle. “Wow,” he breathed, pushing up onto his elbows. “Where’d you learn that?”

“Honestly?” Noctis opened an eye, blinking blearily. “You probably don’t want to know.”

Prompto laughed outright at that. “Note to self - don’t ask!” He shifted, throwing his weight to one side so he could ruffle the other’s dark hair.

Noctis scowled at him, pulling back out of reach. “You’re gonna mess up my hair,” he complained.

“Dude, that ship has sailed. Like two years ago.”

The other grumbled at this, patting his hair with a hand to try and effect some semblance of style. It was a lost cause, but Prompto didn’t have the heart to tell him.

“Is that better?”

Prompto grinned. “Sure.”

Noctis sighed, defeated. “I’ll have to fix it before we go out,” he murmured.

“Go out?” Prompto asked. “Where are we going?”

“It’s your birthday,” Noctis said flatly. “I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“Really?”

“Uh… yeah? Isn’t that what normal people do?”

“Well, yeah, but we aren’t _normal_ people. Well, you aren’t normal. _I_ , on the other hand, am exceedingly normal, a paragon of normality, if you will-”

Noctis pinched him, and he yelped. “Hey!”

“No soliloquies this early in the morning.” Noctis settled down against his chest again, hugging him tight. Within a few moments, his breathing was slower, eyelids fluttering closed.

“Dude, are you going back to sleep?” Prompto demanded. While he wasn’t opposed to that, he would very much like to clean up first, maybe even take a shower. He made to move, trying to slide out from under the other with as little movement as possible.

“Don’t go,” Noct whined. “You’re warm.”

“And gross.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“We are sticking together. Literally. Sticking.”

Noctis sighed. “If I let you shower, will you come back to bed?”

“Only if you’re good.”

That got Noctis’ attention. He raised his head a bit, sleep making his eyes warm and hazy. “And what if I’m bad?” he asked.

“I’m sure you can find a way to make it up to me,” Prompto replied, giving the other his sauciest wink. Noctis studied him for a moment, thinking, and then snorted, shaking his head. Taking this as a sign of relent, Prompto eased out from under the other, taking a few steps towards the bathroom.

Noctis caught his arm. “Prompt.”

“Yeah?”

“Happy birthday,” he said, lips forming into a lazy smile. “Love you.”

Prompto smiled, happy beyond measure.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to give the boys a little Princess Leia/Han Solo moment there at the end. They deserve all the happiness and fluff. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :) I had a lot of fun writing this side story out, and this trope/universe is probably my favorite of all time, so I hope it was as enjoyable to read as it was to write. 
> 
> Feedback is much loved and appreciated :)


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